A Hampshire man has received a £6,000 payout after a long ordeal during which he suffered "searing" dental pain and multiple infections.

Water engineer Stuart McGarrick, 63, launched legal action after complaining that dentists at two Gosport practices failed to adequately deal with a decayed tooth.

Mr McGarrick suffered severe pain that made it hard to eat, disrupted his sleep, and forced him to take daily medication.

He was briefly a patient of Daniela Tranca at the Trafalgar Rowner practice in 2014. He then saw a number of dentists at MyDentist, Gosport, owned by Whitecross Dental Care, over a seven-year period.

Stuart Garrick was briefly a patient of Daniela Tranca at the Trafalgar Rowner practice in 2014. He then saw a number of dentists at MyDentist, Gosport, owned by Whitecross Dental Care, over a seven-year period. Mr McGarrick said: Ten years ago I went for a routine appointment with Dr Tranca. She identified a high risk of decay in a tooth on my lower-right jaw and took some X-rays. However, she didn't flag any major cause for concern that needed immediate attention.Stuart Garrick was briefly a patient of Daniela Tranca at the Trafalgar Rowner practice in 2014. He then saw a number of dentists at MyDentist, Gosport, owned by Whitecross Dental Care, over a seven-year period. (Image: Dental Law Partnership)Mr McGarrick said: "Ten years ago I went for a routine appointment with Dr Tranca.

"She identified a high risk of decay in a tooth on my lower-right jaw and took some X-rays. However, she didn't flag any major cause for concern that needed immediate attention."

Mr McGarrrick said he subsequently suffered pain and swelling.

"I visited MyDentist, Gosport, who gave me root canal treatment and a crown. I found the crown really irritating but they said it’s normal and just needed to settle in."

Stuart McGarrickStuart McGarrick (Image: Dental Law Partnership) Over the following 18 months Mr McGarrick endured constant discomfort and repeated infections.

"There were nights when I couldn’t sleep due to the searing pain. It was at this point that I decided to go private. I just couldn’t cope much longer.

"It was remarkable how quickly my private practitioner spotted and diagnosed the issue.

"Not only was the crown a poor fit it was also squeezing up against the tooth next to it, which was causing the infections. They placed a new crown really easily, but it’s likely I’ll lose the tooth within the next ten years."

READ MORE: NHS sees fewer new dental patients after 'recovery' plan - report

Mr McGarrick decided to seek recompense and contacted the Dental Law Partnership (DLP) in 2022.

A DLP spokesperson said: "Further analysis of his records revealed the extent of the poor dental treatment he received. If the decay had been diagnosed and treated by Dr Tranca as early as 2014 he would have avoided the need for the root canal and crown treatment.

"If a satisfactory crown had been placed during his visits to MyDentist, Gosport, the tooth would not have deteriorated so much."

Mr McGarrick said: "I am hoping to finally start moving forward with my life after this terrible experience.

"What I'm annoyed about is that the dentists at MyDentist knew the crown was a bad fit but then refused to take a proper look. Instead, they constantly fobbed me off."

He has now received a total of £6,000 from his former dentists in an out-of-court settlement, although neither Dr Tranca nor Whitecross admitted liability.

READ MORE: Access to dental services in Hampshire is improving - report

A Mydentist spokesperson said: "We would like to apologise for the experience Mr McGarrick had when under treatment at our Gosport practice. 

“Ensuring patients receive the highest quality dental care when being treated at our practices is our first priority and we're disappointed that on this rare occasion it fell below our expectations."

Trafalgar Rowner declined to comment.